The line about our newsroom repainted to look like a day-care center is a keeper.

But the one line -- actually three words -- that stand out to me, and that both lovers and haters of the Courant should really dwell on over their morning coffee is included in this paragraph:

"Yes, The Courant has changed, but if you're moved to send me one of those condolence e-mails ("How are you, really?"), don't. Much to our mutual surprise, the pterodactyl and I are still here. We're. Still. Here."

It's catch-up time people. Just a couple of things that don't add up to a whole column, but that I thought you'd like to know while I'm working on a profile of a Hartford pastor. Sorry; you'll have to wait on that one.

If you haven't already heard: Bank of America is closing its Barbour Street branch at 2 p.m. on March 26.Word's been slow to spread, but as soon as Nelson Rabinovitch tells customers at his nearby laundromat, the response is the same: "What? Why?" 68-year-old Johnnie Gore wondered when I stopped by Wednesday.

Turns out, there's been a bank of some sort at Unity Plaza for decades, residents told me. So they don't understand why it's being closed. "It really does a disservice to the residents," said Rabinovitch, who owns Erica's Laundromat.

More confusing to residents is the bank's decision to leave behind an ATM. Why not just give another bank an opportunity to move in a branch? they wondered.

Fair question.

When I called Bank of America, a media representative said they periodically analyze customer use and found more patrons were using nearby branches, including one less than a mile away on Main Street.

The good news is that employees, who will be transferred to other branches, won't be losing their jobs. But, he said, he couldn't speak to individual concerns.

That's OK. Gore, who walks with a cane, certainly could. "We're senior citizens," she said. "We can't be hopping all over the place."

Rabinovitch is collecting signatures to petition the bank to keep the branch open. Judging by the conversation I had with the bank rep, I don't think that's going to happen.

Let's hope that happens. The Arce Torres family has waited long enough for some justice in a senseless tragedy that was captured in a shocking video.

The video that showed 78-year-old Arce Torres lying in the road as bystanders stood by or walked past the elderly man's broken body went viral. Angel Arce had been crossing Park Street after buying some milk and was struck by one of two cars apparently racing on Park Street.

Here's her bio: "More often than I would like, I hear people make very ignorant comments about Hartford. I've heard people say "Oh my gosh I'm going to get shot here." I realize that the crime rate in Hartford has sprung the reputation it currently has, but there are bad people who do bad things everywhere. More in some places than others, but it doesn't change the fact that beyond the crime and the poverty there are good people and good things that can be found in the state's capitol...my home.

In this blog, I will be focusing on people, places, organizations, and events that go unheard of, or unnoticed. The city has potential but the difficulty lies in seeing past the bad rep and see the good."

To quote myself, no teacher or school committed to educating children should have anything to fear in giving the largest stakeholders the power to replace a principal or even close a school that's not doing right by their children.

I mean, come on people -- isn't it time we stop talking about the state's embarrassing record- high achievement gap and actually did something about it?

Apparently not. Readers - and by that I mean teachers, union types and by the looks of it, all of their friends and relatives -- were disappointed, angry, downright apoplectic that anyone would dare criticize teachers or - gasp-- suggest that the union may be more interested in protecting jobs than children.

You see it everywhere: Companies ban the unhealthy habit and smokers head to the nearest sidewalk to take a few puffs.

So, it's no surprise to see that happening at nearby Aetna where even on the coldest of days, employees of the health insurance company huddle together near a Flower Street entrance to puff, puff away.

Still, it's kind of hard not to note the irony here. There's the obvious, a bunch of health insurance employees putting their own health (not to mention their insurance ratings) at risk.

And the not so obvious, unless you happen to be walking by.Those smokers? They're grabbing a smoke just steps from a company sign declaring the space a "Tobacco Free Campus."

A claim that's betrayed by the startling number of butts strewn about.

A colleague tipped me off to the ironic location of the mounting butts, so this afternoon I took a walk over to check it out for myself.

Boy, was he right. There were cigarette butts everywhere -- on the patch of frozen grass, on the sidewalk, the street.

Three guys taking a cigarette break were just a few deep puffs from contributing to the mess.

Anyone ever pick these up, I asked one guy.

Never, he said

Aetna has banned smoking inside for years, he said. But he added, somewhat triumphantly, they can't ban smoking on the sidewalk.

And so: "This is what they create," he said, taking in the littered landscape.

I'm sorry; what they create?

I suppose Aetna could, or should clean up, if for no other reason than to help keep the street outside their building clean.

A few garbage or ash cans might help tidy things up.

But it also wouldn't kill the smokers to clean up after themselves.

Maybe it was because we happened to be talking about the disgusting amount of cigarette butts, but I could swear the guy I talked to pocketed his butt after he was done smoking.

I am pleased to inform you that we have been paid to assassinate you by your co-worker in your office. I want you to listen very carefully about your safety and do not, i repeat, do not try in anyway doing anything funny in other words, trying to inform any security agent because this is our business, and we know how to do it best.

I have to admit this message stopped me for a second when I read it this morning.

This whole Fox61/Courant merger has been challenging, I thought. But geez...

Except here, they give you an opportunity to give them big bucks to save yourself. That's mighty nice of them, no?

In fact, if you put aside the whole hitman thing, the whole thing is pretty civil: "God be with you and Good luck," it reads after remindersthat I'm a moving target.

"Lucky You," they optimistically sign off after making clear that my days are numbered.

Here's the rest of the message I got:

We have our network all over the world.In order not to endanger your life the more you are advice to co-operate with us to know if we can change our initial plan to assassinate you. Once you are in receipt of this message, i will like you to get back to us immediately as delay is dangerous.

I wait to hear from you on this matter within the next 24 hours and that is if you appreciate and love your existence. Please do not in anyway communicate this or discuss this with anybody because you wouldn't know whom you are talking with. OUR WATCH-DOG ARE ON YOU. DO NOT MAKE ANY MISTAKE.

GOD BE WITH YOU,GOOD LUCK!!!.

Lucky You.

And here's another version I found on the web. Again, extremely polite.

Dear Friend,

Goodday to you.

Am very sorry for you my friend, is a pity that this is how your life is going to end as soon as you don't comply. As you can see there is no need of introducing myself to you because I don't have any business with you, my duty as I am mailing you now is just to KILL/ASSASINATE you and I have to do it as I have already been paid for that.

The owner doesn't cite big box bookstores or the economy for her exit, by the way.

This from Courant reporter Bill Leukhardt's story: "(Sarah) Bedell, 67, said concerns about her health, and not the faltering economy, prompted her recently to decide to retire after nearly 37 years in the business she said she still loves. The unrelenting six-day-a-week schedule has become too difficult for her, she said.

I wish Ms. Bedell well.

But I'm sure there are lots of people out there feeling a sense of loss over this.

And I'm hoping there's some entrepreneurial type out there willing to take on the place and keep it running.

I'm just thinking of all the poor students and their families already struggling to pay for an education.

And thinking back to my own second home -- Boston University's financial aid office, where I stressed and cried over each semester's tuition bill while begging for more time to come up with the cash. And then the exorbitant loans that followed me out.

The University of Connecticut's chief financial officer, Richard D. Gray, is recommending a 6.3 percent increase in tuition, room and board for the 2010-11 academic year.

If the university's board of trustees adopts Gray's proposal at its meeting next week, it would mean that in-state students would pay an additional $1,228 for tuition, room, board and fees while out-of-state students would pay an extra $2,212.

And more from Gray:

Gray said in a meeting with reporters this morning that while a 6.3 percent hike is not small, "We are still a tremendous value." He said the university has -- and would continue to have, even with this increase -- the fifth-lowest tuition among peer public universities.

"We are right in the middle of our peers," he said.

No, Mr. Gray -- here's what you're doing: You're killing parents and students with this hike. In case you've missed the economic disaster the rest of the world is living through, people either don't have, or are struggling to hold onto, their jobs.

Everything seems to be going up -- except the everyday person's salary.

Education is key to success. But if you can't afford an education, what are your options except failure?

Farmington Bank is leading an all-day fundraising event to provide economic assistance to cancer patients and their families. (Fox 61 and the Courant are also sponsors.)

The event -- Ride America -- is a six hour, indoor cycling event that simulates a ride from Connecticut to California and back. (Ouch. Hence, those padded riding shorts.)

Teams of riders will bike 6,000 miles from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Malibu Fitness in Farmington on Sat., Feb. 27. I'm told Fox 61's own Logan Byrnes, pictured below, is putting together a team. Gooo... Logan.

Save the date: Sat, Feb. 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

According to the press info, riders are challenged to raise $500 or $250 as a team member. The goal is to raise $100,000 for families. Find all the info you need here.

Ride America is produced by the Connecticut Sports Foundation, whose founder John Ellis started this event after his family had to pool their resources together to help fund cancer treatment for his brother.

Among those all you generous bikers out there will be raising funds for will be Bryon Schiffres, the little boy battling brain cancer who I wrote about last February.

Here's that story.

Bryon's mom, Linda Weidemier, sent me a card recently with this great family photo.

So, grab those shorts and call Vicky Cirilli at The Connecticut Sport Foundation Against Cancer at 860.874.7742.

Considering Wednesday marks the start in Connecticut of the legislative session for politicians who can't get things done, I thought we all could use an example of politics done right.

About a week ago, I wrote about a Cheshire mother's quest to get a law passed in hopes of reforming the way missing-persons cases are handled.

For five years, Janice Smolinski has been on a heartbreaking and frustrating search for her son Billy, a 31-year-old Waterbury man who went missing in August of 2004. Last week, Smolinski was in Capitol Hill, where she testified before a congressional subcommittee on behalf of "Billy's Law," named after her son.

The bill, which was co-sponsored by Congressmen Chris Murphy and Texas Republican Ted Poe, calls for a number of improvements for families searching for loved ones, including streamlining the reporting process and a comprehensive data base.

It was, said the politicians who were clearly affected by Smolinski's story about disconnected databases, disinterested law enforcement and increasing desperation, common sense legislation.